Interest rate optimism pushes Wall Street higher

U.S. stocks pushed further into positive territory for 2016 on Wednesday, helped for a second session by comments from Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen that eased anxiety about potential interest rate hikes. MetLife and other financial stocks led the market higher while the S&P energy sector was down marginally after crude prices retreated from their day's highs after a report showed a weekly build in U.S. crude inventories. Yellen said on Tuesday the U.S. central bank should proceed cauti